Palm Beach’s Bluewater Economy: The Business Engine Behind the Coast
Palm Beach County doesn’t just look like a postcard - it runs on bluewater. Marinas, refit yards, advanced manufacturing, and skilled maritime trades form a real economic engine with high-wage careers. Studies place the county’s marine impact at $4.7 billion annually, part of a tri-county cluster exceeding $18.5 billion.
With nearly 1 million registered boats statewide and over 37,000 in Palm Beach County alone, the region’s identity and economic health are directly tied to the water.
Geographically, Palm Beach County’s 47 miles of coastline and expansive Intracoastal Waterway make it a natural homeport for everything from deep-sea Gulf Stream fishing to inlet-side sailing. The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) has long leveraged this unique blend of lifestyle and logistics to attract companies whose leaders fall in love with the water—and bring their businesses with them.
Palm Beach Bluewater by the Numbers:
$4.7B annual marine economic impact in Palm Beach County (approx. 22,000 jobs)
$18.5B+ marine impact across Palm Beach, Broward & Miami-Dade (approx. 141,860 jobs)
37,000+ registered boats in Palm Beach County (1M+ statewide)
$1.05B economic impact from the Palm Beach International Boat Show (55,000 attendees)
$78.4M appraised value of marinas & boatyards; $436M boat-slip market value
Service Sector: $1B+ sales, $369M income, 9,885 jobs
Manufacturing: $320M+ sales, $100M income, 2,490 jobs
Marinas and Refit Yards
Marine business in Palm Beach is massive and far more than leisure for visitors. Countywide, marinas and boatyards hold an appraised value of $78.4 million, with slips carrying an additional $436 million in market value. Slips are not scenery; they’re income-producing infrastructure.
Service Sector: The Core of the Industry
More than half of the county’s marine economic output comes from services:
$1B+ in business sales
$369M in income
9,885 jobs
These jobs are tied to the people who repair, fabricate, survey, wire, paint, and manage the region’s diverse fleet.
Manufacturing: Scale and Stability
Manufacturing adds:
$320M+ in sales
$100M in income
2,490 jobs
Luxury brands such as Palm Beach Motor Yachts manufacture locally, supported by coatings, performance product partners, and a strong retrofit ecosystem.
Refit: Palm Beach’s Signature Strength
Modern yachts are floating technology platforms, and owners expect fast, flawless turnarounds. Refit success comes from precision scheduling, advanced quality systems, and coordination across dozens of trades. Palm Beach yards have become known for delivering exactly that.
Port as a Platform
The Port of Palm Beach adds strategic depth to the entire sector. As a working seaport and a Caribbean gateway, it moves food, cement, raw sugar, molasses, and more through an efficient intermodal rail system.
Alongside cargo operations, the port’s megayacht facility brings high-margin, service-intensive traffic. Cargo activity and yacht operations share utilities and talent which are the people trained in marine safety, logistics, and time-critical workflows.
Jobs That Pay and Skills That Travel
Palm Beach’s maritime workforce spans a wide range of specialized trades:
Welders
Machinists
Marine mechanics
Electricians
Electronics techs
Composite specialists
Painters
Naval architects
Surveyors
Project managers
The county tracks 211 marine-related companies supporting 2,255 direct jobs with an average salary of $85,097 and a $386.6M gross regional product. These wages consistently sit above regional medians.
Education Pipeline
Local programs, including Palm Beach State College, train technicians in:
Boat repair
Diesel systems
Hull & deck work
Marine electrical systems
Curricula are built with employer input to ensure students gain hands-on, job-ready skills. Industry groups like the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County strengthen this ecosystem for both workers and business owners.
Showcasing the Region
Each spring, Downtown West Palm Beach transforms for the Palm Beach International Boat Show (PBIBS) which is one of America’s top five boat shows.
55,000 attendees
600 exhibitors
800+ boats
923,000 sq. ft. of floating docks built temporarily along Flagler Drive
PBIBS is both a logistical marvel and a major economic driver, with an impact of $1.05 billion. For local service firms, it’s a prime moment to book refits, fill schedules, and onboard new talent.
Boats, Billionaires, and Bluewater Habits
With more than 37,000 boats in the county, everyday boating supports marinas, mechanics, and marine retail. But Palm Beach’s 44 billionaires amplify the effect through waterfront living, Caribbean proximity, and an efficient business climate.
The BDB’s outreach to relocating executives continues to attract headquarters and satellite offices—bringing procurement networks, vendor relationships, and spending that spills into the marine sector.
Even small outings make a difference. Boaters spend $52.97 per trip on fuel, food, beverages, and ice—totalling:
$91M in retail sales
$135M in business volume
$34M in income
850 jobs
These benefits reach businesses far from the docks.
Tri-County Scale
The Palm Beach–Broward–Miami-Dade corridor functions as one integrated maritime market. The region’s $18.5B+ impact and 141,000+ jobs reflect shared supply chains and seamless movement across county lines.
A single yacht might:
haul out in Broward
source stainless fabrication in Miami-Dade
complete electronics calibration in Palm Beach
Regional collaboration, through FIND, industry associations, and development boards, keeps dredging, permitting, and workforce development aligned.
The Next Chapter
Sustaining this growth requires planning and coordination. Slip capacity must match demand. Zoning, resiliency, and workforce investment require a unified regional voice so small operators aren’t left navigating alone.
For employers, the future will be defined by stronger quality systems, investment in skilled labor, and operational precision.
The maritime projects coming into Palm Beach County are increasingly complex with hybrid propulsion retrofits, interior redesigns, full electronics suites, and global brand warranty work.
For residents and students, the message is clear: these are high-wage, hands-on, tech-forward jobs with portable skills that withstand economic cycles. Boats need care in good times and bad—and those skills travel anywhere the ocean meets industry.
